Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - PERFECT FIT: Denver Broncos Jaylen Waddle Positively IMPACTS Offense and TEAM CULTURE

Starting point is 00:00:00 Jalen Waddle introduced himself to the Denver media this week, and I'll tell you this, he's the perfect fit for the Denver Broncos. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. What's happened in Brockos Country? I'm Cody working on today's bonus episode of the show. We're going to get to know Jalen Waddle a little bit more. He introduced himself to the media this week on a conference call.

Starting point is 00:00:30 It was great to be able to hear him in his introductory Zoom conference call, but he'll share insight onto his focus with the team since arriving via trade. Plus, he offers some insight as to what he will bring to the table here for the Broncos' offense inside this wide receiver room. And on top of that, you get to know about his friendship with Pat Surtan a little bit more. All on today's episode of the show here, folks. Now, the Broncos do things differently now when they sign a big player or they trade for a player. And the other, in earlier years, back in 2022, when Nathaniel Hacker was running the show, we used to get press conferences. Anytime a player signs, do you get a press conference, do you get the in-person experience of getting to meet, shake the hand of the player or the executive or the coach that gets hired?

Starting point is 00:01:12 Since Sean Payton is taking over, that approach has been a little bit different, right? Anytime the Broncos re-sign or they trade for someone, they keep things in-house primarily. There is no introductory in-person press conferences really outside of when Bo Nix was drafted by the team. We are able to actually do that here. But for Jalen Wattle, he was made available on an introductory Zoom call that I had the chance to. be on. I'll tell you what, when you talk about the type of human being that the Broncos are getting here with Waddle, they're getting a guy who's very humble, carries himself the right way. And I don't think that, you know, I've been around this industry for quite some time.

Starting point is 00:01:45 The way he answers questions isn't necessarily a PR spin at all. You could tell he's authentic with the things that he talks about. You could tell that he was raised right here. So Broncos country, I want you to be able to get the chance. If you haven't heard the call, if you haven't been on the call here that you can get to know Jalen Watt a little bit on what type of player that the Broncos are getting with him. I think I'm just bringing another playmaker to the team, someone that can help out and try to make plays the best of my ability. I think if you look at his tape, he makes plays left and right. Every day or is in the everyday club. I've already posted all 22 film breakdowns there of Jalen Waddle making plays on third down, right? Third and seven plus one. He's the primary guy.

Starting point is 00:02:26 No Tyreek Hill out there. He's the primary guy. He's the primary guy. He's going out there and beating man coverage. He's beating zone coverage. Cornerbacks are lined off and playing off ball coverage, and he's burning them with his speed. Great route runner. He gives the Broncos a dynamic that they haven't had inside of this offense in quite some time. I would say arguably since Emmanuel Sanders, love Emmanuel Sanders. I'm not saying that Jalen Wattle is E in any way, shape, or form. I think he brings his own unique splash here to Denver's offense. But the way that he runs routes, the quick speed outs that he can run. The Broncos haven't had a guy who can run a route like that in quite some time. It's been a while. So I think the fluidity of how he plays as a receiver is going to

Starting point is 00:03:03 mesh well inside of this offense. It's going to draw a lot of attention towards him and it's going to flip some opportunities for other guys. And if teams shift their focus to, you know, Cortland, well, Jaylon Waddle is going to make some plays all over the field. That's the thing about him. He can win everywhere. And that's what I like there. But the way he carries himself to not only off the field, but on the field, he's a humble dude. He'll chirp from time to time. But man, he backs it up. Overall, though, if you get to be around him, the one thing, that Pat Sartan has talked about to is that, hey, he's a humble dude. These guys, they competed against one another every day of practice at Alabama. But the way that he carries himself as a

Starting point is 00:03:39 human being, I think is a great addition. Plus, he even offers some insight into maybe how he fits into this Broncos wide receiver room. I honestly think it's just the way I was brought up, my mom and dad. Obviously, try to do a good job as best they can with, you know, keeping me not too high but not too low. So just staying, you know, at a good headspace. And I think the, it's going to be a fun group. They got a lot of talent, court, Marv, Troy, Pat, LaJordan. I'm here to help in every, you know, fashion, making plays and learning. I'm excited to learn from them and them to learn from me. So it should be fun. It should be great. He's going to be a good culture fit inside of this locker room because really it is about selflessness. You know, it's about embracing whatever.

Starting point is 00:04:26 of your role is. And look, I think for some of these other receivers on the Broncos roster, the addition to Jalen Wado, I think perception-wise, it changes maybe like, wait, what does this mean about my future with the team? Right. I think those are valid questions for some players to have. But ultimately, being around this locker room since Sean Payton has come in since he's removed several pieces from it, this has been a locker room that's been all about buying into the role. Jaade Barron, a great example of that last year. First round rookie, high expectations, bought into his role, even if it wasn't maybe the role he necessarily. necessarily envisioned for himself in terms of the playing time aspect there.

Starting point is 00:05:00 You talked about the wide receiver room. Like even Marvin last year didn't get as many snaps, I think, was as we all wanted him to last season. But he even went to the podium and said, I love being an, if, even if my role is just being an all pro returner, I'm happy with it. I know I can have a positive impact on his team, change the dynamic of it. So for Jalen Waddle to come in, there's some things that he's going to be able to teach these guys and vice versa about playing in this system with Sean.

Starting point is 00:05:24 There's things that these guys can teach Jalen about. getting into the system and learning the nuances of it. So I think he's going to be a great locker room fit here for the Broncos as well. But his relationship with Pastor Tan, it dates all the way back to being childhood friends. Also, back to the University of Alabama, the Sabin days where that wide receiver room that Pat had to go against was loaded. Jalen was one of those guys here. We're going to hear about their relationship plus also his goals, not necessarily individual

Starting point is 00:05:51 goals, but he's team-centric. And that's a good thing here for the Debraicos here on today's episode of the show. Today's episode of the show is brought to you by our friends over there at Fandu. College basketball, the big tournament is going on. The game and the action is nonstop. Big games, tight spreads, momentum swings with every single matchup. From early tip-offs to late-night West Coast shootouts, there is always action on the board. And now Fandu is giving you a way to turn that energy into even bigger potential wins

Starting point is 00:06:15 with a college basketball parley profit boost where you can build any college hoops parlay you want, especially with the tournament in play now. Whether it's rivalry games, ranked matchups, upsets, you name it. You can make spreads. totals and player props to match how you see the slate playing out, then you can apply the profit boost and instantly bump up the potential payout. Go safe, go bold, ride with the team. You've been falling all season long. It's your parlay, your style now with more upside behind it. Head to Fanduul.com to get started. That's fanduil. Play your game. And on top of that,

Starting point is 00:06:45 folks, our friends over there at Robin Hood, what a sports were traded like markets. Now you can put your sports IQ to work in real time with Robin Hood prediction markets. It's not you against the house. It's you participating in a live market. You can buy her sell your positions live all game long. Use your sports knowledge in the moments that matter. Robin Hood prediction markets changes the game. It's people moving the action so when momentum shifts, you can move with it. I always do the game, but I never had a dynamic way to apply that knowledge.

Starting point is 00:07:09 Now I can actually take part live in a market powered by people. You're no longer just a spectator. Play-by-play, you decide. Trade every play with Robin Hood. Now across the US, download the Robert Hood app now to begin. Futures and cleared swaps trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Event contracts are offered by Robin Hood derivatives. LLC, a Register Futures Commission, Merchant, and Swap Firm.

Starting point is 00:07:30 And today's episode shows also brought to our friends over there at five-hour energy. The five-hour energy flavor draft is here with 18 different flavors to choose from, including new options like confetti craze, fruity rainbow, or cotton candy. There is something for everyone. You and me include the board is set, the flavors. They are ready. And I have my number one pick for the five-hour energy draft. And it is cherry.

Starting point is 00:07:51 It's got the bold cherry candy-style flavor, sweet with a light, or edge, classic red fruit profile, bright, punchy taste, smooth and easy to recognize, plus a clean, slightly tangy finish. When I drink, a five-hour energy gives me the boost that I need. But here's the thing that I love about five-hour energy shots. They give you a boost of energy with zero sugar, and that is absolutely important. Plus, they have a lot of upcoming flavor innovations that are planning. You can find your favorite flavor. Find your new favorite flavor today of five-hour energy shots available online at five-hournernergy.

Starting point is 00:08:20 com or Amazon. We heard from Jay Lenoato in his introductory press conference a little bit. earlier here on today's bonus episode, Locked on Broncos. You got to know what type of player he's going to bring to the field offensively, you know, a type of human being you're going to get inside the locker room behind the scenes, a very humble guy here. But I think one thing that has to be highlighted here, and this is the dynamic that's going to be fun to watch, especially when training camp comes around, the relationship between

Starting point is 00:08:46 Pat Sertan and Jalen Wado. I mentioned it earlier. Obviously, teammates at Alabama, these guys are also childhood friends. So the fact that they get a play on the same exact team once again at the N. NFL level is going to be fun, but it's going to raise the level of competition, especially on the first day of pads when you have competition one-on-one periods there. You're working there. You're going to see which corner is going to go up against which receivers.

Starting point is 00:09:08 We've seen Pat go up against Cortland Sutton. These guys have had fun training camp battles, but man, adding Jalen Waddle into the mix, where now it's probably going to force Pat's or Tan at times to cover guys in the slot and practice specifically if you want to take your best player against maybe one of the best route runners that you have on your roster right now. and Waddle, it's just going to raise the level of competition. Plus, I think Waddle is going to make guys like J-Quan, MacMillan even better, even Riley Moss.

Starting point is 00:09:32 So I'm excited for training camp. We're a little bit of a ways away from that. But I tell you what, day one, I got the camera on. We're going to be there. We're going to be documenting everything and we're going to keep you posted here on lockdown Broncos. But, I mean, these guys obviously knew about it. And I think one of the first things that happened when this trade went through. I think there were some fans that didn't know of the friendship or the dynamic between Waddle and CERT,

Starting point is 00:09:53 because there was a clip that came out about who would win in a boxing match. You were Pat Sertan and Waddle said, I would beat Passertan. He had some other colorful language in there. But a lot of people were like, oh, no, like throwing shots. I guess he's not going to ever get traded to them. It ever gets traded at them. Folks, these guys are so close. They're fun.

Starting point is 00:10:09 Pat responded with too much dip on the chip in terms of that on Twitter. But the dynamic, the relationship these guys have is great. And actually, when the trade went through, and these guys knew something was happening long before any of us did. But when the trade went through, one of the first calls that Jalen Mottel made was to his good friend. That's her tan. It was special.

Starting point is 00:10:27 He was one of the first calls that I made. You know, we talked about this early in our career. We wanted to get together and play with each other. So just seeing it happen and it's special. Think about it too. I mean, there are times playing football together at Alabama with Nick Saban. Nick Saban is one of the greatest coaches of all time. The way that he, you know, he's hard on guys.

Starting point is 00:10:48 That's why I think, like, Waddle here in Denver is going to be pretty easy. Because Sean, look, Sean is tough. His practices are tough, but these guys, they were molded in the fire a little bit. They iron sharpens iron. These dudes were practicing in the humidity in Tuscaloosa almost every single day, daily doubles at the college level. When you think about Jalen and that wide receiver room that certainly he played alongside, right? Jerry, Judy, Henry Ruggs.

Starting point is 00:11:11 I mean, it was unbelievably loaded. And then you factor in the secondary pass or tan had to go against all those guys in practice every day. It truly was iron sharpens iron. So not only are the Broncos getting a player here in Waddle, who's been through the toughest practices you could probably imagine, he's built for this. He's NFL ready. And I think that's definitely one aspect of the game that has changed over the last handful of years with NIL is you look at the types of players that come in. The Broncos have said very much in their evaluation process now, they look at players who have received money through NIL. Do they still play the same after getting those big deals?

Starting point is 00:11:46 Do they love football? That's when you truly find out whether or not guys really love football. You don't have to ever ask that question with Jalen Waddle or Pats are tan. They love football. They're meant for it. And this is going to be a great addition here for the Broncos offensively here. But let's also talk about another thing. Waddle was asked about, hey, what are some of your personal goals that you have here?

Starting point is 00:12:04 And he declined to talk about personal goals or individual goals. But instead, he talked about team goals and really the mindset, the focus for Waddle. It's one week at a time, which is exactly in line with how Sean Payton and this Broncos roster seems to think. I wouldn't say nothing personal. I would say for the team, just take a week by week. And, you know, try to go out there and play a good brand of football and, you know, try to stack some wins together. And the Broncos, their schedule this upcoming season, it's going to be tough.

Starting point is 00:12:31 When you talk about the conferences that they had to play, teams that have obviously gotten better around them, I think adding a player like Jaylon Waddle to mix, especially when the Broncos ultimately have to face a team like the Los Angeles Rams and a non-conference matchup there, the Seattle Seahawks, the 49ers. You know, when you face that NFC West late this year, you're also going to be facing the AFC East and a division in which Waddle has tons of familiarity in going against the New England Patriots, the Buffalo Bills, the New York Jets. And now he's going to face his former team of the Miami Dolphins. I'm excited to see how all these dynamics play out.

Starting point is 00:13:04 But I look at Waddle's addition and the fact that you can line them up outside, inside, move him around as the motion guy, isolate different matchups. Really on a week-to-week basis, it could be a pick-your-poise for Sean Payton's offense. And certainly for Bow Nicks, you're getting a playmaker who can thrive vertically, who can thrive in the middle of the field, the short intermediate. I mean, we know the screen game is an important aspect here of this Broncos offense. Waddle is a guy who can have success with that. Can the Broncos incorporate the slant route a lot more consistently this upcoming season? I mean, it was Pat Bryant last year.

Starting point is 00:13:35 We didn't see it consistently enough, but we saw it more so than we have in other years here inside of Peyton's offense. But I really do believe that the downfield vertical threat aspect of this offense is going to open up a lot more here in 2026 than we saw this past season. And for Bo Nix, if the receivers can find a way to fix the drop issues there, Bo is going to have a terrific year. I think a lot of people are going to have to put some respect on Nix's name. They don't do it enough and he should already get that respect that already. Jalen Waddle is going to be a guy that's going to enforce the league saying, hey, you better respect Bo Nix because he's going to make you pay. And Waddle is going to be a big beneficiary of that and it's going to help accelerate that here for Bo and the Broncos's

Starting point is 00:14:13 offense going forward into 2026. But Broncos Country, I appreciate you so much. Thanks for rocking with us here on today's bonus episode, Locked on Broncos. You're already listening to the show every day, but becoming every day or join the Everydayer Club, join the All Access Club so you can get all 22 film breakdowns where you can see Jalen Waddle's third down production on third and long.

Starting point is 00:14:32 All six of his touchdowns from last season. I break it down. I show you everything you need to know about that. Plus you also get access to our Discord. You get exclusive discounts on lockdown merch, plus you get an ad for. free version of this show, Broncos country. I know that's important for a lot of you.

Starting point is 00:14:47 Plus, you get access to our Discord. And you can get a month for free, yes, a free month, folks, by using promo code March. Check it out today, lockdownbroncos. com. Sarah and myself will see it tomorrow for a brand new episode of the show. As we focus on the player development of guys like Jada Barron, Sabian Jones, Jonah Ellis, and Q Robinson, all tomorrow's episode, Lockdown Broncos.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - PERFECT FIT: Denver Broncos Jaylen Waddle Positively IMPACTS Offense and TEAM CULTURE

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.